It's been a while since I read the book but I definitely don't remember it happening like that. He brought Jr. into the life, if I remember correctly, when he was just a teenager. According to Kurt he did not have much of a choice, if any.
Keep in mind that at the trial he called from the bench to Kurt to testify that he was a good dad and Kurt's response was to get up and walk out of the courtroom.
Jon DiFronzo called Mike Mags' dad "stupid" for brining him in. IMO mobsters who brings their kids in tend to be the worst of the kind.
didnt frank calabrese have another family and kids as well. perhaps he thought i can let these kids be criminals because ive got the other ones i can raise properly. Its kind of like domink montiglio in a way with his uncle nino. He let his nephew become a gangster but not his own kids even though he raised dominik from an early. Also it comes down to having people around you can trust and will follow blindly because of that trust and its easier to keep them in their place especially for a patriarch like calabrese.
